Drinking in public leads to drug charge: Taunton police

Wednesday

TAUNTON – A serial public drinker is also facing a drug charge for carrying a small amount of suspected fentanyl, police said.

Eliezer Perez-Santiago, 42, 713 Somerset Ave., unit 1, is charged with possession of a Class A substance and drinking in public in violation of a city ordinance.

Police collared Perez-Santiago shortly before 7 p.m. last Friday as he allegedly was walking on Forest Street in Weir Village carrying an open container of alcohol.

“Perez-Santiago is well known to this department for … drinking in public in the area of Taunton Green and adjoining side streets,” the police report states.

“It should be noted Perez-Santiago lists 10 separate arraignments on his board of probation (record) for drinking in public,” according to the report.

Police said Perez-Santiago was carrying a “kitchen-style steak knife” and two glassine baggies containing approximately half a gram of suspected fentanyl — a synthetic opioid that street dealers often either sell as a heroin substitute or combine with heroin or cocaine.

Police in their report also noted previous arrests for Perez-Santiago dating back to 2004 for subsequent drug offenses, including possession to distribute both Class A and B controlled substances.